Meeting Of The Minds
by Marymel
Summary: Gil and Conrad chat with baby Greta (in her own way) about how far the lab has come.


**Jackson and Greta are my original characters, but I don't own CSI.**

 **I wanted to write another Greta story with her Papa Eckie, and then I wondered...why not a story with Grissom and Ecklie? I loved their banter on the show, so I thought it would be cool to have a story with the two of them. Since Conrad's made amends with Morgan, and she now has Jackson and baby Greta, I thought it would be cool for Grissom to see how far Conrad's come. So here's what I came up with. Hope you enjoy...and pretty please review!**

Gil Grissom had to admit he enjoyed being close to his CSI family again. He knew he was blessed to have his beloved Sara back, and he missed their CSI family as much as she did. Seeing her work with Catherine, Nick, Greg, Morgan, and all the Grave Shift team was priceless.

One afternoon, after helping Nick with some entemology work on a case, Grissom walked to Nick's office - his old office - to wait for Sara so they could go home. When he got to the office, he raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. Conrad Ecklie was sitting on the couch with Greg and Morgan's daughter Greta. The sheriff had one of Greta's books as the baby girl softly "read" to her grandfather.

"What's that one?" Conrad asked his granddaughter.

"Dada da ba!" Greta babbled.

Gil knew Conrad and the lab had come so far after he left years ago. He never thought he'd see his former lab adversary with grandchildren. But there he was, smiling softly at the baby girl on his knee.

Greta looked up and pointed to Gil. "Ah..." she said softly.

Conrad smiled softly. "Hey."

"Hello," Gil said with a soft smile. "I see they're starting CSIs younger and younger around here."

Conrad laughed softly. "Yeah, sometimes I think Jackson's going to go straight from school into the field." He smiled at Grissom. "Her brother's going to be the lab's bug expert someday."

"I'll bet," Gil said with a soft smile. "How is he?"

"He's good."

"Dada da!" Greta said. Both men smiled softly.

"Sara should be back soon," Conrad said.

Gil smiled. "Yeah, she called and said she was on her way." A thoughtful smile crossed Gil's face. "I have to admit...I never thought I'd see you with grandchildren."

Conrad smiled thoughtfully at his granddaughter. "To be honest...me neither. At least for a time. But...then Morgan came to Vegas. Jackson came to live with Greg. I think he adopted her the moment they met."

"He made them a family," Gil said simply.

"Yeah," Conrad said. "You know...just fifteen years ago, if you told me Greg Sanders would be assistant supervisor of Grave _and_ married to my daughter, I would have laughed." Both men shared a thoughtful laugh. "But..." Conrad continued. "After everything that's happened..."

Gil smiled thoughtfully. "Everyone's come so far."

"Yeah," Conrad said softly. "Catherine's the lab director, Nick's in charge of Grave, Greg and Sara are working with him again. Morgan, Hodges, Wendy and Henry are all on the team. So is Lindsey."

Gil smiled softly and nodded, remembering how surprised he was two years ago when he returned to the lab and found Catherine's daughter was a new CSI. "Everyone is where they should be."

Conrad smiled softly as Greta babbled softly. "Yeah."

"So...where is Morgan?" Gil asked.

"She's getting some results from Doc Robbins. And Greg's still at his 419 with Wendy and Lindsey."

"Sara says Al's wife takes care of the kids?"

"Yeah," Conrad said. "She volunteered after D.B.'s wife moved back to Seattle."

"Ah," Gil said. "Sara still thinks very highly of him."

Conrad nodded. "You know...after everything with Langston...and I know he did what he had to do..." Gil nodded and Conrad continued. "D.B. was just what we needed around the lab."

Gil nodded, remembering hiring Langston when he left the lab eight years before. "Have you heard from Langston since...everything?"

Conrad shook his head. "No. Doc said he talked to him not long before Greg and Morgan's wedding. Said he sounded good."

"That's good," Gil said with a nod. "I thought...he'd make a good CSI. I just didn't..."

"Know he'd nearly bring down the whole lab even though there was no other way?" Conrad asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gil nodded. "I knew the lab would be in good hands with Catherine and Nick."

"And it was...still is," Conrad said. "Like you said, we're all where we should be." He smiled at the happy baby girl on his knee.

Gil smiled. "Yeah." He hesitated before asking, "Heard from Riley?"

Conrad sighed. "Greg sent her a DVD of Jackson's birthday party. I don't know if he's talked to her lately."

Nodding, Gil said, "Greg said Jackson barely remembers her."

"Morgan's his mom," Conrad said. "I think he adopted her before they ever made it official."

Gil smiled softly. "Sara said that, too."

Conrad nodded. "We've all come a long way."

"Papa?" Greta said as she looked up at Conrad.

The two former lead CSIs smiled at the baby girl. "Who knows?" Conrad said. "The way Jackson loves science, Morgan and Greg being great CSIs...Greta may very well follow in their footsteps too."

Gil smiled warmly. "They just might."

Greta looked up at Gil. "Papa ah dada baba ba!" She babbled. "Awa da!"

Conrad and Gil smiled. "I think she wants to talk to you," Conrad told Gil.

"Dada ba!" Greta babbled.

Gil smiled at the sweet baby girl. "Are you going to be a CSI too?"

Greta giggled and gave her father's mentor a cheeky smile.

"You know," Conrad said. "From what I hear from Morgan, Greg and everyone...Eli might be a CSI someday too."

The thought of Warrick Brown's son following in his father's footsteps as a CSI brought a warm smile to Gil Grissom. He knew Tina had a second chance to be a good mother and a part of the CSI family just as Grissom had a second chance with Sara. "That would be wonderful."

"Yeah," Conrad said with a thoughtful smile. "Eli and Jackson are best pals. Sometimes I wonder what Warrick would say if he saw his son and Greg's son. And Super Dave's son. Three Musketeers."

Gil smiled warmly. "That they are." He smiled thoughtfully when he realized just how loving a family he and Sara had.

"And Maria and Helena are interested in science too, from what Catherine told me," Conrad added. The two girls Catherine became the guardian of loved being part of their CSI family as well. "Catherine thinks Helena might become a teacher, and Maria just likes to investigate."

"Hmm," Gil said. "Runs in the family."

Conrad smiled at his granddaughter. "Yeah."

Morgan and Sara walked in and smiled when they saw the two former supervisors talking about family and how far the lab has come since they ran the day and grave shifts. Seeing them talking to and playing with Greta was priceless.

Greta looked up and smiled widely at Morgan. "Mama!"

"Hi," Morgan whispered as she took her daughter. "Were you giving Papa a hard time?"

"No," Conrad said with a smile. "She was just saying she doesn't see me enough, right Greta?"

"Papa da!" Greta said before a fit of giggles. Morgan cuddled her daughter close.

Gil smiled at the sight of Morgan and Conrad chatting about their case and how Jackson was doing in school. He knew there was a time when the two barely talked, if they did at all.

Sara put her arm around her husband. "Greg's still on a case," she said.

"Yeah," Morgan said as she kissed Greta's cheek. "He should be done in time to have dinner. We promised Jackson we could have dinner with Papa Eckie."

"Papa pa!" Greta said happily.

Sara couldn't help but smile at her goddaughter with her grandfather. "Maybe this weekend, Jackson and Greta can come see the garden."

"Yeah," Gil agreed. "Tell Jackson we've planted more milkweed."

Morgan smiled. She knew how much Jackson loved working in the Grissoms' butterfly garden with Gil. "I will."

Greta smiled and reached for Gil. "Ah da?"

Gil raised an eyebrow as Morgan put Greta in his arms. The former CSI simply smiled at the sweet baby girl. "Hello, there."

"Da baba ba pa!" Greta babbled.

Everyone laughed softly. "I think that's her way of saying she'd love to come see the garden," Sara said.

Morgan smiled and put her arm around her father. "She and her brother will probably be CSIs themselves someday."

Gil smiled at Greg's daughter as Sara laid her head on his shoulder. "Maybe so."

 **The End**


End file.
